> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Kevin McKeown on protecting Santa Monica from overdevelopment - URL: https://www.smdp.com/110106-story-20061101-3/ - Published: 2006-11-01T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T21:59:28.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Government & Politics, Pier, #archive-import, Homeless, Homelessness Kevin McKeown AGE: 58 OCCUPATION: Creating and supporting innovative educational technology for Santa Monica public schools. MARITAL STATUS/CHILDREN: Not/none yet. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? HOW LONG? A block and a half from Lincoln Middle School, since 1976\. YOUR RIDE? A well-maintained 1977 10-speed burgundy road bike from Helen’s Cycles. My other car is a green 2001 Prius, license plate STA MNCA. OWN OR RENT? The same rent-controlled apartment for over 30 years. YOUR PASSION? We live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet and I’m passionate about protecting it from overdevelopment. For the past eight years, I have been the council liaison to the city’s Environmental Task Force, and in that role, I spurred the creation of the Sustainable City Task Force and the new 10-year Sustainable City Plan. I championed our Community Energy Independence Initiative, which will get Santa Monica onto solar power and off the grid in 20 years. I’ve been the consistent voice maintaining Santa Monica’s lawsuit against Playa Vista for the unmitigated traffic impacts that will choke Sunset Park. I introduced Santa Monica’s proposed ban on Styrofoam, which particularly trashes our beaches and the bay, and expanded it to virtually all non-recyclable plastic food packaging. WHAT ARE YOU READING? Resident e-mails and staff reports. The water around the santa monica pier is some of the most polluted in the state and poses a significant health risk to swimmers. How do we clean up the beach? The ocean will become cleaner when we learn to respect it, and not let our urban effluents pour into the bay untreated. Santa Monica Pier is about to be updated. The needed restoration of the protective breakwater opens options for the return of small boats, to further help people enjoy and appreciate our ocean. I will work with Heal the Bay to develop a model environmentally friendly boating program called Green Sail. Boats sailing “clean” could unfurl the coveted Santa Monica Green Sail, creating a memorable iconic representation of our community’s commitment to clean beaches and clean water. WHAT’S A HIDDEN GEM IN THE CITY? My secret sunset-watching spot on the lip of Santa Monica Canyon. Homelessness is far and away our city’s most pressing issue, according to daily press readers. What new ideas do you bring to the table? Do service providers help the down-and-out or merely attract more homeless and enable them? I’m for taking back our parks, but not by just passing feel-good laws we can’t enforce. We are finally moving homeless feedings indoors to get unhoused and hungry people real help, which I’ve advocated for years. Next, we need to relieve the burden on residents and our police and paramedics in other parts of our city. On the Westside Cities Council of Governments, I enlisted our neighbor cities to work with us cooperatively on regional solutions. I represented Santa Monica this year at a national summit, and now with a federal grant we’re getting the chronic homeless off our Santa Monica streets in a program called “housing first.” Our new homeless court identifies the real criminal element for deserved prosecution, then gets other unthreatening street people out of a revolving-door criminal justice system. BEATLES OR STONES? Stones and beyond. I first came to Santa Monica in the mid ’70s as general manager of L.A. radio station KROQ. My iPod rocks. HOW DO YOU SPEND A DAY OFF IN SANTA MONICA? At the beach, of course! Residents and elected officials often clash over the issue of gang violence — some advocate more enforcement, others call for more intervention and prevention strategies. Where would you focus resources? Last July, at a time when shootings were fresh on our minds, I asked the city council for immediate action: Hire someone to focus our social program efforts against youth violence and coordinate them regionally. Appoint a Community Task Force on Youth Violence. The current council demurred, but I will bring this back. IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH WITH ANY THREE PEOPLE IN HISTORY, WHO WOULD THEY BE? (SPOUSE AND CHILDREN EXCLUDED) This one’s personal: Both of my parents, and my kid sister. My dad died when I was only 12, and my mom only 10 years later. My sister and I never got to share as adults the friendship of our parents. I’d love for the four of us to sit down now and explore the meaning of life together as a family. Local businesses provide the majority of the city’s general fund revenues, yet santa monica has a reputation for being a difficult place to do business. How would you entice more businesses, different businesses, to open up shop? We have an extraordinarily successful business community — for corporate chains who can pay inflated commercial rents. We need to preserve our locally-owned, neighborhood-serving smaller businesses. That’s why I’ve defended the small markets in Ocean Park, fought the losing battle to keep the Midnight Special bookstore in downtown, and helped increase outdoor dining opportunities for neighborhood restaurants. I led the council to repealing the small home business tax to encourage residents to work here, where they live, rather than commute and pollute. What’s the biggest threat facing the quality of life in santa monica? Overdevelopment. COMFORT FOODS? It used to be ice cream, but part of losing 130 pounds since 2005 has been switching to less fatty treats. Now I tend to go for an apple. Midsummer peaches from our Farmers’ Market are the best! Does the city need more parking spaces, or will that just attract more drivers? What incentives should the city offer to get people out of their cars? We need to provide for current needs, while being cautious not to overbuild.I supported the downtown parking that merchants and customers want, but drew the line at an additional 1,000 unneeded spaces developers tried to sneak in for 500,000 square feet of future office and retail space downtown. We residents have been very clear that downtown is too congested already. Transit and better land use will eventually reduce the demand for cars and parking. FREE FORM. WHAT’S PUTTING A BURR UNDER YOUR SADDLE? I’m the only councilmember who stood against Prop. W and for “clean money.” We need to make our democracy work better, including at the local level. Negative campaigning dissuades citizen involvement. It’s becoming too hard for voters to know who is paying for misleading messages.Voting wisely requires being able to “follow the money” and know whose interests are really being advanced. WHY ARE YOU SO SPECIAL? I offer a unique combination of energy and experience, and remain extraordinarily responsive to our residents and their concerns. I came to the council as a community activist and I have not lost my conviction that our city’s greatest resource is the people who live here. My commitment is to empower us in making decisions that affect our lives, not let economic forces drive the future of Santa Monica without respect for residents. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 1, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/110106.pdf?ref=smdp.com)